Apple has announced plans to update its artificial intelligence feature after criticism over inaccurate news summaries on its latest devices. The decision comes after complaints from the BBC and other organizations, citing errors that misrepresented key information in-app notifications.
This feature, available on iPhone 16 models, iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, some models of iPads, and Macs running iOS 18.1 or later, puts Apple Intelligence to work grouping and summarizing notifications for users. However, the AI comes under fire due to creating sometimes misleading summaries that seem to be coming from trusted news sources.
Reported Errors Trigger Update In November, the BBC reported errors in Apple’s AI summaries, such as one stating that Luigi Mangione, accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, had shot himself. Another said that Rafael Nadal had come out as gay and that Luke Littler had won the PDC World Darts Championship hours before it started.
These AI summarisations by Apple do not reflect – and in some cases completely contradict – the original BBC content,” the broadcaster said, citing the need for accurate reporting as a matter of public trust.
Apple responded on Monday, for the first time acknowledging the concerns and promising a software update in the coming weeks. The company said it would “further clarify” when notifications are summaries generated by Apple Intelligence, so users can distinguish them from original app content.
Criticism from Journalists and Organizations The feature has attracted criticism beyond the BBC. Reporters Without Borders appealed to Apple to turn off the AI functionality, stating, “Generative AI services are too immature to produce reliable information for the public.” Several social media posts have highlighted other instances of blunt and literal misinterpretations by Apple’s AI.
Apple’s Statement Apple restated that its AI features are in beta, and there is a need for users to state what they think should be improved. “We encourage users to report a concern if they view an unexpected notification summary,” the company said, emphasizing that the feature is optional.
While this problem is not peculiar to Apple alone, the matter brings out greater concerns regarding the veracity of content generated by AI.
For instance, Google has also faced several criticisms for incorrect summaries through AI.
The upcoming update is intended to restore the users’ confidence while Apple continues its promise of improved AI capabilities.
